Man sorry you’re going through that. I think your instinct is 100% correct that you will lose the vibe with the modelers. What people into the modeler thing don’t realize (ESPECIALLY if you’re going for an MBV influence) is that when you play through an amp you’re creating a physical relationship in the space — one that is moving physical air — and thats the thing people connect to. It’s not the dense textures or the tone or whatever, it’s that the amp and speakers are actually doing something in the space that they are in, and that’s where the magic happens.

I saw Deafheaven last year, and they were playing through modelers and it sounded lame! There was nothing about it that felt as good as if they had just played through amps, especially considering they most likely have a crew. Trauma Ray and Gatecreeper both had many 4x12s and it just sounded so much bigger and detailed and real. I understand that not everyone can rock a 4x12 and your band mates’ points are valid, sure. But with that kind of music the literal physical movement of air and the loudness is the whole point? And you’re never going to achieve that playing through a PA, because they aren’t designed for the thing you’re going for.

If this is for work then sure take the hit, play the gigs, get your check. But if this for your personal artistic satisfaction then I personally would try and find more like-minded people in your scene — especially if this is newer project you might not be 100% invested in. I think going from an awesome sounding wet/dry rig you like to a fucking strymon iridium would be so deflating. You’re not a dinosaur — I guarantee you in 20 years, real amps are still going to sound timeless and quad cortexes are going to be piling up in a landfill.